Heartburn medicine used to treat warts

Q. My daughter had so many warts on her hands that there was nothing the doctor could do.

He said freezing or burning them off was out of the question.

He suggested Tagamet. That sounded weird, but she tried it. In two months, she had many fewer warts.

By the third month, her hands were as smooth as a baby’s bottom, and she went to her prom with her head held high!

A. Treating warts with heartburn medicine sounds a bit bizarre, but doctors have been doing it for years. Controlled trials of Tagamet (cimetidine) for warts have been inconclusive, but we’ve heard of other successes:

“I am a 23-year-old healthy male. I have had plantar warts on both my feet and warts under my fingernails for almost four years. I’ve tried several costly and unsuccessful treatments to cure them (acid, cryotherapy, duct tape).

“Then I read online about Tagamet. I figured it was a long shot, but I didn’t have much to lose. I began taking OTC cimetidine, one tablet at breakfast and the other at dinner.

“It took nearly two months before I noticed something: a small patch of healthy skin in the middle of the mosaic patch of warts near my big toe. A few weeks later, even more of the plantar warts disappeared, along with a big wart on my right thumbnail. It is now about two months since I started this treatment, and most of my warts are gone. I am convinced that Tagamet really works.”

Q. I’m worried about my mother. She’s 65 and has type 2 diabetes and mild depression.

In the past few months, her behavior has changed dramatically.

She is extremely lethargic and has no energy to do housework. She is sleeping a lot and often falls when she gets up. She says she feels dizzy.

She’s normally very industrious, loves the outdoors and keeps a very clean home.

She says her blood sugars are very good now during the day, but they go extremely low at night.

Her doctor told her to take Dramamine and cold medicine for the vertigo. She also takes Abilify, Actos, atenolol, Benicar, furosemide, gabapentin, glimepiride, insulin, Lipitor, paroxetine, potassium chloride, Sular and sometimes acetaminophen PM. What do you think?

A. This is a LOT of medicine! Your mother needs a specialist in geriatric medicine who can review everything very carefully for side effects and interactions.

She should not stop any medication on her own, but the doctor needs to see if she really needs each of the medications in this complex regimen.

Abilify is of particular concern because it can complicate the treatment of diabetes and can be dangerous in older patients. It also may contribute to dizziness on arising.

We are sending you our Guide to Drugs and Older People for a discussion of the pitfalls of medication for senior citizens along with a drug-safety questionnaire that should be filled out by her doctor and pharmacist.

Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. O-85, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. I use Travatan, similar to Lumigan, for glaucoma. My eyes have turned from brown to almost black. Blue-eyed people should be warned about this.

A. A change in the color of the iris is a well-known reaction to this class of glaucoma drops. Your doctor should have warned you.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Favorite Home Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy.”

2009 King Features Syndicate Inc.